


Deception

by butterflybaby91



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, F/M, Father problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-14
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-26 13:25:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/966437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflybaby91/pseuds/butterflybaby91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luckily she knew her father's chicanery held no power over her</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deception

A week after Pulitzer gave Jack, what could only be described as his dream job, he tried to take it all away.

Katherine burst into Jack’s room at the Newsies lodge house, to find him sitting on his bed, staring dejectedly out of the window. Seeming him look so down, squelched Katherine’s excitement and she crept quietly over toward his bed, “Jack?” she whispered, reaching out a hand and lightly placing it on his shoulder, trying her best not to scare him.

He jumped anyway and whirled on her. When he saw Katherine standing there with wide eyes, all he said was, “Oh hello,” and he gave her a small smile, but it did not reach his eyes, and then he went back to staring out the window.

“What’s wrong Jack,” she asked quietly, sitting down next to him and winding an arm around his waist. Katherine leaned her head on his shoulder and studied his face, waiting anxiously for his answer.

He sighed and seemed to deflate, slumping into Katherine, “I knew it was gonna be too good to be true,” he muttered.

She frowned and began carding a hand loosely through his tousled hair, “What are you talking about?” she asked gently.

Jack turned, burrowing his face in her hair, “Your father had me fired,” he mumbled.

Katherine frowned, “What?” she demanded, pulling back to stare at Jack, her fury clear on her face, “How could he _do that?_ ”

He shrugged, “Pretty easily I guess—I was just told that I had no business being at The World anymore and when I tried to protest they threatened to call the cops on me, so I got outta there,” Jack told her in a flat voice. Katherine was extremely bothered by how dejected he seemed. She recalled how even during the low part of the strike, he was still doing something—not just sitting around feeling sorry for himself.

While leaning in to kiss his cheek, Katherine stood and placed her hands on her hips, “Well lucky for you, I have many contacts in the newspaper business and I know everyone is still abuzz about the brave Jack Kelly who led a bunch of newsboys to take down Pulitzer! We’ll show my father!”

“The job’s not really whats I was worrying about Katherine,” he said with a grimace, “I can always go back to delivering papes and be fine, it’s just—“ he trailed off and stared at where his shoe was scuffing the dust on the floor board.

“What is it Jack?” she asked softly, moving so that she was standing in-between his legs, pressed up against his torso, so he could not ignore her.

When Katherine’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, Jack looked up, his face displaying such a forlorn expression that Katherine was taken aback, “Well,” he began, “it’s just, that if you’re father can so easily backtracked on his offer from not even a week ago—I’m sure he’ll find a way to separate us and Katherine,” he bit his lip and took a deep breath before continuing, “it’s just that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I don’t know what I would do if your father came in-between us now.”

Jack hugged Katherine tightly to his chest and she was startled into silence for a few moments at the intensity of his words. They might have only known each other for a few days, but she already knew that she too could never be parted from him. Luckily, she knew her father’s chicanery held no power over her, “Jack, I’m not going _anywhere_ no matter what my father says,” she did not mention the numerous cold family dinners she had had over the past few days as her father tried time and time again to talk her out of her “passing fascination” with Jack, “I have to be with you because I can no longer do otherwise,” she whispered, cupping his face in her hands so she could stare into his deep brown eyes as she confessed how deeply she felt for him.

At her words, Jack’s face became a bit less troubled and Katherine took a deep breath of relief, “It’s us for the long haul,” she informed him with a smile before swooping down to kiss him. All their stress, worry, and love were poured into that kiss and Katherine clung to Jack desperately when he tore his lips from hers.

“You mean that?” he whispered, looking much more hopeful, “For sure?”

Katherine nodded with a smile, “For sure.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, relishing in the promises the future seemed to hold as they both uttered those two simple words. Then she popped back into the present and the very real problems they faced, “Come on!” she exclaimed, grabbing Jack’s hand and tugging him out of the room.

“Where are we going?” he asked as he followed along readily enough.

“To see if you can’t get another job illustrating, because God knows you’re good enough to!” she told him as they burst out of the building. She paused on the sidewalk, still grasping his hand, smiling up at him and then she bounced up on her toes to be able to briefly kiss him again.

“At least you believe in me Ace,” Jack said with a smile when they broke apart.

Hurrying them down the street, Katherine rolled her eyes, “You believe in yourself too if you would stop wallowing for a minute,” she said.

Jack shrugged like it wasn’t important, “Nah,” he said simply, “I believe in you.”

The truth of his statement rang through in his voice and Katherine squeezed his hand. Somehow their mutual belief would be enough to carry them through she knew. So she did not reply—just continued to lead them on through the late August evening.

 


End file.
